


The Bromance Chronicles

by acoolgirl



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming of Age, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Some Romance, friendfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 05:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14206485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acoolgirl/pseuds/acoolgirl
Summary: Because with Madge and Katniss, even hanging out has to be dramatic and death-defying.





	The Bromance Chronicles

Madge’s fingers trembled as she held the off-white envelope in her hands.

It was a letter from the College she had applied to. In it held the course of her very future. Her GPA, extracurriculars, and volunteer hours were all good-she shouldn’t be worried, but she couldn’t help but be anxious.

“Dad?” she calls out in a tremulous voice. “Could you come down for a minute?”

She hears the hardwood floor above her creak as her Dad pushes out of his chair, and in the following moment, hears him come down the stairs until he’s standing in front of her.

“Everything alright, Pearl?” Dad asks worriedly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, before catching sight of the envelope she held. “Ah, is that the acceptance letter?”

“Or the rejection letter,” Madge mumbles.

“Nonsense,” Dad guffaws. “No one would dare reject my lovely, bright daughter.”

That just increased the pressure she felt.

“Will you read it?” Madge asks him, biting her lip. “I-I can’t.”

Dad takes the letter from her and she tucks herself under his arm, hiding her face in his chest as she awaited the verdict. Her heart was beating so quickly, she could literally feel her chest reverberate.

She hears the tear of the envelope opening and the paper being slid out and unfolded. She holds her breath as Dad reads its contents.

“Well,” Dad says quietly. “It seems you’ll be going to Paylor University this fall.”

“Really!?” Madge shrieks, hopping up and down. Dad gives her the letter to read herself, and she can’t even get past the first sentence- she had gotten in!

“I told you,” Dad says thickly, kissing her right temple as his eyes grow cloudy. “I’m so proud of you, sweet girl.”

Madge hugs him tightly as her own eyes wetten.

“Oh!” Madge gasps, pulling out of his grasp. “I need to call Katniss!”

Dad waits with her as she dials Katniss on her phone, and Madge is anxious all over. Paylor is the only University Katniss can afford since it’s close enough that she can commute to. If she doesn’t get in, there’s a very good chance her best friend won’t be able to attend a four-year college.

“Hello?” Katniss answers. She doesn’t sound overly upset, then again, Katniss is kinda renowned for her monotone.

“Hi Katniss,” Madge greets, suddenly unsure of how to ask the question. “Did you...get any mail today?”

“I got into Paylor,” Katniss tells her casually.

“Oh my God!” Madge squeals excitedly. “Katniss, so did I!”

“That’s great, Madge,” Katniss actually sounds happy.

“We have to go out and celebrate,” Madge gushes. Dad raises an eyebrow at this but says nothing.

“Celebrate?” Katniss asks tentatively.

“Yes, meet me at the park,” Madge says. The park was their meet-up spot, an equidistant spot from both their homes.

“Alright,” Katniss says, her voice relieved. “See you in 10.”

“Extend my congratulations to Miss. Everdeen as well,” Dad says good-naturedly, reaching into his pocket. “Take my credit card, go out and have fun.”

Madge takes it, only because she knows it will hurt him if she doesn’t. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll text you when I’m coming back.”

Dad waves her off, turning back to go back to his study. “I think you’ve proven today you’re a responsible young woman. Have some fun with your little friend, and stay safe.”

Madge smiles at her Dad’s back before slipping on her flip-flops and heading out the door. She was so happy, she felt like she could float.

It takes her about 10 minutes to walk to the park, and since it’s nearing dusk time, the usual parade of children and their mothers are absent, leaving Katniss to sit alone on the swing set.

Madge runs over and Katniss stands up, her arms already outstretched when Madge flings herself at her. Her embrace surprises Madge; their hugs typically played out with Madge squeezing tightly and Katniss awkwardly patting her on the back till she’s done. This hug, though, is different, because Katniss hugs her back just as, if not more, tightly than Madge.

“I’m so glad we both got in,” Madge whispers. She feels Katniss nod.

They finally break apart, and both girls smile at each other as they take a seat on a swing. For a while they just swing back and forth, talking excitedly about the future, nostalgically about the past, and happily about the present.

“We can carpool,” Katniss plans out seriously. “We’ll be saving on gas and parking that way. Saving the environment too, kudos to us.”

Madge looks over at Katniss. The setting sun bathes her in warm golden light, her braid flying as she swings in great arcs, her shoulders relaxed, and her eyes content. It’s while she’s mid-air that Madge realizes that she loves Katniss. Not romantically, or sexually, but in a way only a woman can love another female friend: with purity and total sincerity. Her heart swells at the realization.

“Katniss,” Madge calls quietly. Sometime during her epiphany, she had slowed down, and Katniss has to look down to see her. “You’re my best friend, and I love you, I really do.”

Katniss digs her heels into the mulch to stop herself. As soon as her swing stills, she looks at Madge and smiles. Not a smirk or a twitch of the lips, but a full-blown grin, revealing both rows of her teeth, and lighting up her gray eyes. It’s a breathtaking site.

“You think I’d be here if I didn’t feel the same way?” Katniss asks her honestly.

Madge smiles back and feels as if her bones are oozing with contentment.

“You hungry?” Katniss asks, breaking their meaningful moment, but in a way that only added to it.

“You always are,” Madge laughs with a shake of her head. “Let’s go to Sae’s.”

The two of them walk to downtown, which is just Main Street with rows of shops lining each side.

Madge’s good mood dampens a bit when she sees who’s running Sae’s that particular evening: Dustin: Sae’s 15-year-old grandson. Dustin was also the son of Darius, Panem High’s notorious flirt. Another fun fact about Dustin is that he had seemingly decided that Madge was his soul mate, and made this clear through very obnoxious means.

“Oh God,” Madge groans under her breath, and Dustin catches sight of them and quickly rushes towards them.  
“You’re the one that picked Sae’s,” Katniss reminds her with a smirk.

“Well, hel- _looo_ sweet cheeks!” Dustin greets her cheesily, eyes lingering too long on her denim Capri clad legs. “Missed me?”

“Actually, I came to have some dinner with Katniss here,” Madge tells him with a strained smile.

Dustin looks over at Katniss, seemingly noticing her for the first time, and frowning. “Oh. Table or booth?”

“Booth,” Madge answers.

“Right this way, m’lady,” Dustin offers her his arm which she conveniently ignores him, opting to walk around and settling into a booth of her choice, Katniss right behind her.

Dustin drops two menus in front of them, before leaning against the edge of the booth where Madge sat.

“May I suggest something salty?” Dustin asks in an attempted husky overtone. “‘Cause you’re too sweet for your own good.”

Madge doesn’t even bother hiding her eye roll.

“Let’s do the Great Wing Challenge,” Katniss reads to her, looking mischievous in the low light of the diner. “Says here if we finish our plates, our meal is on the house.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t suggest that,” Dustin tells her. “There’s a reason why it’s free: no one’s been able to do it.”

“Let’s do it,” Madge giggles, pounding her fist against the wooden tabletop. “Dustin, be useful for once and bring those wings!”

Dustin looks wounded at her words, but takes the menus and goes, though not before blowing her a kiss.

“Feeling adventurous tonight, eh Katniss?” Madge asks teasingly.

Katniss flashes her a dangerous grin. “You better watch yourself, Undersee. I don’t do losing.”

Madge raises an eyebrow. “Them fighting words, Everdeen. Be prepared to eat your wings and words.”

Their playful banter continues until Dustin reappears with a tray of two baskets of Super Deluxe Red Hot Wings and two Cokes.

“Here you go, sweet cheeks,” Dustin says as he places her food in front of her. Madge inspects the wings closely, to say they were red was stretching them a bit-they were flavored so heavily, that their color was nearing a blackish dark brown.

“You have 30 minutes,” Dustin tells them both, as he takes out a stopwatch from his apron pocket. Unfortunately, since it was an evening workday, Sae’s was empty enough for Dustin to bug them the entire time.

“On your mark, get set, go!” Dustin shouts.

Not even bothering to glance at Katniss, Madge dives into her basket, pulling out a huge wing and bringing it up to her mouth quickly.

For a minute, she’s able to ignore the sizzling in her mouth and throat as she savagely tears through the meat- but then it hits.

Madge chokes as she feels a trail of fire going down her esophagus into her stomach, but she forces herself to plow on- there’s no way she can lose to Katniss!

By the time she’s reached her second wing, she feels feverish and her mouth is producing buckets worth of saliva in an attempt to combat the heat, but it’s of no use. Madge drops the half-eaten, wing, grabbing her coke with sauce-covered fingers and chugging the large glass in one go.

“You ok, sweet cheeks?” she hears Dustin ask nervously, but she can’t answer. Forget winning, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to survive the assault of spiciness on all her senses.

“I can’t,” Madge gasps once she’s finished her coke. She feels as if there’s steam coming out of her ears, and she’s trembling from how overheated she feels.

“Oh my God,” Katniss whispers, clutching the edge of the table, breathing heavily.

“Sweet cheeks, I think-”

“Milk!” Madge shouts, clutching the front of Dustin’s shirt in her fist. “We need fffucking milk!

Dustin’s eyes are wide with terror. “W-we can get some from the grocers!” he squeaks.

Katniss hauls herself up and tries to sprint to the door, but her legs keep buckling under her. Madge herself hobbles to the door, clutching at her throat in an attempt to choke the life out of the spiciness.

But once she’s reached outside, Madge finds that her body can no longer tolerate the heat, and collapses face first on the warm asphalt from an intense wave of dizziness.

Great, she was going to die from buffalo wings. Good going, Undersee.

“What the fuck is going on?”

Through sheer willpower, Madge forces her eyes open and finds Gale Hawthorne and his friend, Thom Bryne, rushing towards them.

She tries to push herself up into a more dignified pose, but it’s helpless, all her body can process is the spiciness.

There were many images she wanted of herself in Gale Hawthorne’s mind, but inebriated hooker passed out on the sidewalk was not one of them.

Why oh why did the universe hate her so?

“They had really hot wings!” Dustin explains in a panicked voice. “We were going to get some milk, but Madge passed out!”

“Cray and his guys are near the grocers,” Thom says. “No way he’ll let them go without some explaining.”

“Thom, when Katniss stops puking, bring her to Mellark’s,” she hears Gale command. “You, kid, go run ahead and tell Mellark to take out some milk.”

“But I-” Dustin tries to complain, but Gale cuts him off.

“Go before I kick your ass,” Gale threatens. In the back of her pain-riddled mind, Madge realizes that Gale and Dustin must know each other, since Gale’s brother, Rory, is also 15.

Suddenly, she feels large hands around her, and in the next moment, she’s lifted into the air and onto Gale’s shoulder. Under any other circumstance, Madge would have protested, but she’s currently too busy sobbing silently from how badly her mouth and insides burn.

Madge liked to think that her crush on Gale was realistic and respectable. It was a _I’ll-just-admire-you-from-afar kind of crush_. A, I _-know-you’d-never-go-for-me-you’re-just-hot_ kind of crush. But still, a part of her had held onto a sliver of hope that one day, _maybe_ Gale would look at her and find something of interest. But always the pragmatist, Madge sees immediately after half sobbing, half drooling onto his back as he carried her to seek help for her Wing’s OD, he’d never, ever, in a million years ever find her anything more than a total freak.

By the time they enter Mellark’s Bakery, Madge’s sobbing has become audible. While she’s sure that he only meant to help, being held upside down had only increased the blood flow to her head, which made the heat-induced pressure in her head only worsen to the point where she literally felt as if her mind was about to blow up.

Her body is totally limp as its placed into a chair, and she’s only vaguely aware of someone opening her jaw and pouring milk into her mouth.

Slowly, life returns to her body from the sweet relief provided by the milk, and Madge drinks every drop that’s poured into her mouth, though she does feel a fair amount of it spill over and down her t-shirt. After a few moments of guzzling milk like a relapsing alcoholic would beer, Madge has enough strength to open her eyes.

Only to find herself looking right into Gale’s.

Immediately, she gags on the milk and moves her mouth away so he’s no longer freaking nursing her. While she’s certain there’s at least one woman out there who has a fetish of being fed milk by the guy she digs, Madge is _not_ that woman, and she isn’t sure if she’s ever been more embarrassed in her life.

As she coughs up the milk she’s choked on, Madge finally notices that Katniss and Thom have also joined her, the former donning glass after glass without pause.

“Are you alright?” Peeta asks her worriedly. Still hyper-aware of Gale next to her, Madge just nods and picks up a napkin to wipe away the leftover tears and milk from her face. She then picks up her glass to finish her milk. The heat is mostly gone, but some of it still simmers deep in her stomach.

"Man, I remember trying that challenge," Thom chuckles. "Pretty sure I shit myself for a week straight. God did my asshole burn."

"Stop being disgusting," Gale tells him, which Madge is grateful. She doesn't want to think about the state her rectum will soon be in.

Realizing just how much milk had spilled onto her shirt, Madge lifts it from the hem and pulls it over her head, cringing as the milky part touches her hair.

“Sweet cheeks!” Dustin exclaims, coming out of the bathroom. “I-whoa. You should wear tank tops more often.”

“Get the hell out of here Dustin,” Gale snaps. “I hear your voice enough over Rory’s Xbox live that I’m sick of it.”

Thom's cough suspiciously sounds like the word _sure_ , but he's ignored by both guys as Dustin glares at Gale. The power imbalance between the two turns out to be too great, and with a huff, Dustin stalks towards the door.

“I’ll put the bill on your tab,” Dustin tells her right before he leaves.

“Can’t wait to see you again,” he says wickedly, finally leaving the bakery.

“More milk,” Katniss says, slamming her fifth and empty glass on the table. Peeta nods hurriedly and rushes to the back. Katniss’s posture is extremely stiff and uncomfortable, but for some reason, Madge doesn’t think it’s from the spiciness.

“Um, thanks by the way,” Madge mumbles to Gale, figuring it’d be totally rude not to say anything. “For back there, I um, thought I was gonna die,” Madge laughs awkwardly, finally raising her eyes to look at him. He’s glaring at her.

“You should know better,” Gale says sternly, and Madge can’t help but flinch like a scolded child. “What if some creep like Cray had found you? Girls like you can’t be out here prancing around.”

Girls...like her?

"He means girls guys really want to bang," Thom tells her helpfully. Gale elbows him rather roughly in the side.

Peeta returns with two more glasses with Katniss, which she downs in under a minute. How her stomach hasn’t ruptured, Madge isn’t sure.

“Ok Catnip?” Gale asks her. Katniss just nods stiffly, eyes still glassy.

Gale turns to Peeta and pulls out his wallet. “How much?”

Peeta quickly shakes his head and holds up his hand. “Oh no, it’s fine! They were in trouble and really needed it.”

Madge looks at his red cheeks and how his eyes keep darting over to still-stiff Katniss.

“Thank you Peeta,” Madge speaks up, her tongue still feeling heavy from the abuse it had just endured. “We really appreciate this. Right, Katniss?”

Katniss glares at her before looking over at Peeta sullenly. “Yeah...thanks.”

The dopey smile that spreads across Peeta’s face almost makes this entire fiasco worth it. Almost.

Gale seems to notice this too because he dramatically rolls his eyes and scoffs aloud.

Katniss this time glares at Gale, and Madge can’t help but giggle at the interaction.

It takes Thom a little bit longer to catch on.

"Oh shit!" Thom laughs, as he looks at all four of them. "Now I know why I'm the only one with a girlfriend."

This makes Gale turn on Thom on dangerously, and Peeta's face crumple with embarrassment, but the impending confrontation is cut off by Madge's gasp, who has just realized something really, very terrible.

“I left my phone at Sae’s!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written because of the severe lack of Katniss/Madge friendfics, and the world needs more of that. Badly.
> 
> Also, based off a true story, lol. My sister and I really did almost die from eating really hot wings, but we were saved by our Mom instead of our mutual crushes.


End file.
